The boy from Bagdad who called the President 'buddy'… and got away with it

In his suite 16 floors above Park Avenue, Bubba Watson recalled the surprise telephone call he received the last time he was here in New York - and his awkwardness when he suddenly found himself talking to the President of the United States.

Watson, still wearing the green jacket he had won two days earlier with his play-off victory over Louis Oosthuizen at Augusta National, had been doing the rounds of the television studios when someone handed him a telephone.

In the pink: Bubba Watson poised to defend his Masters title

The new US Masters champion listened as Barack Obama introduced himself.

Then - to his undying embarrassment - Bubba, the good old boy from Bagdad, a small community on the Florida Panhandle, cheerily greeted the most powerful man in the world with the immortal words: 'Hey, buddy.'

Last week Watson grinned as he relived how he hurriedly tried to make up for his lapse.

'Ummm, I mean, I'm sorry, Mr President,' spluttered Watson down the line to the White House.

'And you know what the President said?' recalled Watson. 'He said, "That's fine, Bubba. Us left handers have to stick together".

'It wasn't much more than a 30-second call, but it was still a huge honour.'

Phone call: Barak Obama

While winning the Masters earned Watson celebrity status and a fortune to match, he was never remotely in peril of allowing stardom to change him.

He remains the kid who never had need of a coach to play the game he calls 'Bubba Golf' with strength, a 126mph swing with a fluorescent pink driver in hand and an unfettered imagination.

Last week Watson was back in New York for the first time since those heady days to launch the outfits he will wear for his new sponsors, Oakley, when he defends his Masters title at Augusta this week.

The same national networks welcomed him back, happy to be told once more how he spectacularly hooked a 160-yard wedge shot from a pine-carpeted lie in the trees on Augusta's 10th fairway to win the Masters at the second extra hole of his play-off with Oosthuizen before bursting into tears; Bubba turned into Blubber Watson in front of a global audience.

This afternoon Watson will relish the privilege of playing Augusta National with his wife, Angie - as the champion can nominate a guest to accompany him as he begins the countdown to the defence of his title.

And on Wednesday Angie will be carrying their 13-month-old adopted son, Caleb, dressed in a Masters caddie bib, when she will be on her husband's bag for the traditional par-three tournament.

'It's a big tradition at the Masters that when you have a child somebody makes you a caddie bib,' explained Watson.

'Caleb's lucky as he has two bibs because Phil and Amy Mickelson and Aaron and Michelle Badeley both made him one. Hopefully, he can fit into one of them; he eats a lot!'

The couple adopted Caleb just a fortnight before Watson won at Augusta. His wife told him on their first date, when they met at the University of Georgia, that she could not have children. Watson's response then was characteristically laid back. 'That's fine,' he said.

At Augusta this week, Watson will find his wedge mounted in the champions' locker room along with a portrait of himself with his name on a locker with the late Tommy Aaron.

'Right below me is Tom Watson,' said Wat son, proudly. 'It's neat to think that for the rest of time my name will always be there.'

Yet, when the serious work starts on Thursday, he is under no illusion about the colossal challenge he can expect to face; not least from Tiger Woods, once again ranked No 1 in the world after winning his second tournament of the year in Florida.

'I think Tiger's the favourite in everybody's mind,' said Watson. 'He's looking good and confident.'

Last month Watson moved into Woods's old home in Isleworth, near Orlando. It is the house Tiger tried to flee from after a furious row with his then wife, Elin, in the early hours of a November morning in 2009.

As Tiger drove his SUV out of the drive, he famously demolished a fire hydrant.

The image blew his world apart as one affair after another exposed the world's greatest golfer as a serial philanderer.

Watson paid $2.2million for the eight-bedroom property - then had it rebuilt to the family's design.

He said: 'We've made it more child friendly, with playrooms for Caleb. We've also added another 1,300sq ft. I'd say we only kept three per cent of the original property.'

Watson, a devout Christian, refuses to be judgmental about Woods, who recently revealed he is in a new relationship with American Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn.

'I was surprised by Tiger,' said Watson. 'But others have fallen off their pedestal before him. We've all done things we shouldn't have. I've hurt people. As a kid, I told lies to my parents to get out of trouble, and when they found out I was in more trouble.

Bubba's house: Watson bought Tiger Woods' old house in the gated community of Isleworth, Windemere

'When Tiger was no longer winning, through an injury to his knee, when he was changing his swing, and then his problems away from golf, it gave other players a chance.

'We had learned from him how to prepare better, to train harder and take care of our diets. While Tiger was absent the game grew. The light fell on others. Rory McIlroy won two majors, and went to No 1. I hear people say Rory's had a lousy four months. But what about last year? He missed three cuts, and everybody went, "He's terrible". Then Rory won the PGA Championship and everyone's like, "He's the best". It's golf.

'Tiger is the best there has been in the game, and he's won 26 per cent of his tournaments. He's won 70- something times and Rory's now won two majors in successive years, so you've got to say they're pretty good. I know I'd love to be struggling and No 2 in the world. But Tiger's found love again. His golf swing is working real good. He will take some beating at Augusta.'

Power behind the throne: Wife Angie Watson

Watson, 34, is wired differently to the golfers who file into the professional game from college programmes across the US.

He is happy to wear denim dungarees, without a shirt, to make mock rock videos with the Golf Boys Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan and Ben Crane.

At the last Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club, outside Chicago, he orchestrated the American crowd into a flag-waving frenzy whenever he could.

On the Saturday morning, Ian Poulter felt compelled to mimic him on the first tee. Against improbable odds, Europe's golfers, led by the irrepressible Poulter, scored 8½ pts from the 12 singles matches on the final day to retain the trophy with a victory that will live forever in the memory.

The American players chose that night to stay together rather than share a beer, or a glass of champagne with the men who beat them.

'We felt so bad for our captain, Davis Love; everyone in the golfing world respects him,' said Watson. 'So we just hung out together. We embraced everything.'

Woods had an uncomfortable weekend, even being left out of the foursomes on Saturday morning.

But Watson said: 'Tiger was very emotional on Sunday night. He made a little speech, saying, "Look guys, we played hard, but they beat us". It was an emotional roller-coaster. In the end, we didn't think we lost the Ryder Cup, we felt Europe took it. Some hung on to the defeat, but I was over it right afterwards. I don't live my life on how I play golf. If I did I'd be miserable most of the time. I don't let golf tell me how I am going to feel. I let my life tell me.'

Watson's life has been shaped by his late father, Gerry, and his mother, Mollie, who was there as a shoulder for her son to shed tears of joy on at Augusta a year ago.

'My Dad wasn't a professional sportsman and we didn't go to church together when I was growing up,' said Watson.

'But he was my role model and now I want to be the role model for Caleb.

'Watson's competitive instinct will rage as hard as anyone's at Augusta this week.

'As an athlete I'm still trying to take your head off,' he said.

'But you can do it in a certain way, and win or lose you have to show grace.'

For Oakley, Watson is a multi-million dollar investment that makes the utmost sense.

'Most importantly, Bubba's real,' said Raphael Peck, one of several executives from the company in New York last week. In his year as champion, Watson has raised more than £1m for charity, in part through sales of his Nike-manufactured pink driver, and through assistance from other sponsors, as well as an undisclosed personal contribution probably counted in hundreds of thousands.

'My first goal next week is to make the cut,' said Watson.

'I don't want to hang around for two days to present the green jacket. On the weekend, I'll try to make some noise and give myself a chance again.'

Playing THAT winning shot again? I'd rather not

When Bubba Watsonreturned to Augustarecently with two of hisclosest friends heshowed them the precisespot in the trees where ayear ago he created anextravagant hook shotfrom 160 yards at thesecond extra hole to winthe Masters from LouisOosterhuizen.

'When I had walked upto the ball on thatSunday night, I didn'tknow what to expect,' herecalled last week.

Out of the trees: Bubba Watson plays his second shot on second sudden death playoff hole

'Myheart wasn't feeling sogood. But I could seethere were no trees inthe way and that I had agood lie even if the ballwas on a bed of pines.

'The shot didn't scareme. I guess the ballturned more than 40yards through the air butI didn't think it waspossible to hit it thatclose to the pin.

THAT shot: Bubba Watson played his winning shot in the 2012 Masters from out of the trees, hooking the ball so that it curved in mid-air and spun on landing to finish eight feet from the pin

'I've looked at therecording of it a lot sincethen but I expect I'll seeit a couple more timesnext week. I just knowthat I sure don't want toput my ball in that spotagain!'

From a green jacket to the Dukes of Hazzard

Born Gerry Lester Watson Jr, on November 5, 1978, in Bagdad, Florida, he started playing golf at the age of six but never had formal lessons.

After sporting success at the University of Georgia, he joined the Nationwide Tour - the second tier of professional golf in the US - in 2003.

Three years later he rose to the elite PGA Tour and in his rookie season he won more than a million dollars.

Jolly green giant: Bubba Watson at Augusta last year

But he had to wait until 2010 for his first Tour victory, winning the Travelers Championship at Cromwell, Connecticut.

He was also runner-up that year to Martin Kaymer in the US PGA championship and played in his first Ryder Cup.

Last year he made his major breakthrough, winning the US Masters at Augusta when he beat Louis Oosthuizen in a play-off. He is currently in 36th place on the 2013 US Tour with winnings of $767,000 (£504,000), taking his career earnings to £12.1m.

Watson met his wife, Angie, at university. She is a 6ft 4in former professional basketball player - he's an inch shorter - and the couple adopted a son, Caleb, in March 2012.

Last year he spent $110,000 (£72,300) to buy the General Lee car from the television show The Dukes of Hazzard.

Duke of Hazzard: Golfer Bubba Watson drives off in the General Lee

Watson and fellow US golfers Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan set up a boy band, The Golf Boys, ahead of the 2011 US Open to record a charity single.

The video for Oh, Oh, Oh went viral online and earlier this year they recorded a follow-up 2.0.